Garment hanger



M. GOODMAN Jan. 11, 1955 GARMENT HANGER Filed Feb, 25, 1953 WWQ m JNVENTOR. Malay/9 6000444 a ffa fi 'y United States Patent Ofiice 2,699,276 Patented Jan. 11, 1955 GARMENT HANGER Morris Goodman, Miami Beach, Fla. Application February 25, 1953, Serial No. 338,680 1 Claim. (Cl. 22394) This invention relates to a garment hanger, and more phartligllarly to folding hangers for womens dresses, and t e 1 e.

The hangers are intended for use in the womens wear departments of stores or specialty shops, although they may be used in homes and for other purposes than hanging womens dresses. It has been found in shops handling womens apparel that it is a relatively slow and tedious process to hang a dress on an ordinary hanger. Moreover, when the neck opening of the dress is small, repeatedly removing the dress from the hanger and re inserting the hanger in the dress is apt to stretch the neck out of shape. Where the neck can be opened with buttons or a zipper it takes time to unfasten the neck and subsequently refasten it.

Another problem is that the shoulder width of dresses vary with their size, a large size generally having a wider shoulder than a smaller size. The ordinary hanger does not meet these requirements with the result that the shoulders frequently do not rest properly on the ends of the hanger.

Womens dresses and suits usually have shoulder pads. If the hanger ends rest under the shoulder pads, to sup port them correctly, then the garment will hang naturally giving it an attractive appearance that enhances the sales appeal. Since the ends of my hanger are adjustable, they may be set to fit properly under the shoulder pads of garments of different sizes and thus protect the dress or suit material from direct contact with hanger ends.

With use of the ordinary non-adjustable hanger, if the hanger is too wide for the garment, the hanger ends will extend into the sleeves tending to deform the material and leave a mark, thereby damaging the garment. If, on the other hand, the hanger is too narrow the garment is likely to slip off with the result that the garment will become mussed.

These deficiencies of the ordinary hanger tend to result in damage or injury to the dress, eventually decreasing its sales value, and require an unnecessarily great amount of time and handling in hanging the garment on the hanger, taking it off the hanger, and subsequently replacing it thereon. It is apparent, of course, that in shops these steps may be repeated often before the garment is sold.

Having in mind the defects of the ordinary garment hangers, it is an object of my invention to provide a folding hanger that may be easily inserted in the neck of a garment, and that will permit of readily removing or slipping the garment olf the hanger.

A further object is to provide a hanger that is extensible to fit dresses or garments of different shoulder widths. I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to provide folding hangers having end extensions but so far as I am aware no prior hanger of that type has been commercially satisfactory or successful. An important feature of my improved hanger, and one, among others, that differentiates it from the prior art hangers is that the top surface of the end extension members will be flush with the top surface of the hanger arms in any adjusted position, and will thus avoid forming any objectionable stretching, humping or other distortion of the shoulders.

Summarizing the advantages of my improved hanger,

which is designed to fit properly garments of different sizes, they are as follows:

1. The garment is presented in its most favorable advantages for selling.

2. It reduces damage to the garment to minimum.

3. It reduces the need for repeated pressings.

4. It increases the speed of the operation of the salesperson and makes the person thereby more productive.

5. It reduces markdowns.

6. It is very easy to adjust and simple to operate.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of the improved garment hanger showing the end extension members in fully extended position in broken lines;

Fig. 2 is a view of the hanger with its arms folded down;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the center of the hanger on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through one of the extension members taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section thereof on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

The hanger in the preferred form shown, comprises two arms 10-1ti hinged together by a pivot pin 11 to fold and swing downwardly toward each other. Each arm has an upright inner portion 12, the adjacent faces of which abut each other when the hanger is in operative or open position as seen in Fig. 1. Attached to one upright portion 12 for engagement with the other is a catch 13 that serves to lock or fasten the two arms in their normal operative position. In the particular embodiment of the invention shown, the catch 13 consists of a loop which is pivoted to the upright portion of one arm and is adapted to engage over the corresponding portion of the other arm. Extending upward from one of the portions 13 is an ordinary supporting hook 14.

The hinge connecting the two arms may consist of a mortise 15 in one arm and a tenon 16 on the other, the two being connected together by said pivot pin 11.

At the outer end of each arm is an extension member 17, which extension members are outwardly or inwardly adjustable to vary the etfective length or spread of the anger arms as may be required for dresses or garments of different sizes. If desired the extensions may have graduation marks to indicate their proper setting for garments of various sizes.

An open ended vertical slot 18 is formed in the outer end of each arm 10. Theportions of the arm that form the two parallel side walls of the'slot are each formed with a like shoulder 19, which shoulders serve to limit the inward movement of the extension. Each extension has a narrowed portion 20 that fits slidably in the slot, a widened end portion 21, and a similarly widened top portion 22. The widening of the top portion 22 extends only through part of the length of the extension member. In its fully inward position the inner ends of the top portion 22 abut the shoulders 19 and the inner surfaces of the end portion 21 abut the end of the arm. The width of portions 21 and 22 is preferably the same as the width of the arm 10.

The extension member 17 has a longitudinal closed ended slot 23 formed therein. Pins 24 pass through the slot to fasten the extension slidably to the hanger arm and to prevent them from tilting. It is to be noted that the upper surface of the extension portions 20 and 22 are flush with the upper surface 25 of the arm 10 and will remain flush therewith in any adjusted portion of the extension.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that my invention provides a hanger that saves wear and tear of the garments to be supported thereon, and that can be easily and quickly applied to or removed from the garment.

While I have shown a preferred embodiment of the hanger it is to be understood that modifications in the details thereof may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

A garment hanger comprising a pair of arms hinged together to swing down or up, a catch on one arm for engaging the other to hold the two in their up position, a vertical slot in the outer end of each arm, said slot being open at its top and outer end, an extension member having a narrowed portion that fits slidably in the slot for adjustment in the direction of length of the arm from retracted to extended positions, the upper surface of both the exten- 4 sion member and its narrowed portion lying in substantially the plane of the upper surface of the arm in retracted or extended positions of the extension members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 765,331 Botts July 19, 1904 1,422,782 Rattan July 11, 1922 10 2,524,612 Vineyard Oct. 3, 1950 

